​​Mars, the “Red Planet”, has gone “retrograde”. The term “retro” is often used to mean something from the past or from a time before now. From our perspective on Earth, Mars appears to be spinning backwards. As it traverses the zodiac in this manner, starting at 8 degrees Sagittarius, it will move to 7 degrees, then 6 degrees and so on eventually moving into Scorpio. Under normal circumstance the energy of Mars, ruled by Aries, is “fiery” and ignites our passion to get up in the morning. We utilize the momentum of Mars to go out and get what we desire, honoring the fire that burns from within us. As the symbol of Mars is a circle and an arrow coming off of the circle, you can imagine this ball of fire circling around and then shooting out in the chosen direction. Like animals faced with “fight or flight”, we call on Mars to help us have the courage to do what compels us. Mars allows us to confront our fear and flow with the forceful impulse that we may feel in our gut to “just do it”, without a lot of heady analysis. With Mars in the sign of Sagittarius, the flavor becomes what is it that we believe? What is it that we know to be true? And in that knowing, what drives us? With the motion turning inward, we can reflect on where we are in our lives and what desires are still waiting for keys to the ignition. What passions have we potentially buried or squelched, perhaps a “failure to launch”? Have we allowed that energy to spin inside us raveling up like a yo-yo, in the circle of fire, but then contained or repressed it from releasing. As we know, depression can be rooted in anger or rage turned inward on the self. The energy has to go somewhere, and through holding it in, it starts to eat away at us, yearning to express. Sagittarius is on a quest for truth as it is open to exploring the unknown and the uncharted to surmise and understand the meaning of it all. To know the meaning of all, one must be willing to pursue all that pertains to the area of interest. Of course, taking in everything requires a lot of time making the journey a lifelong adventure as the Gypsy, the Teacher, or the Sage. As Mars will be in this phase until the end of June, it can act as a pause or a moment of reflection prior to formulating action. This pause can slow down the impulse to act and allow us to take a step back and question whether what has triggered us is truly of importance or based on a false notion we have accepted as truth. . If we address our desires from this vantage point, we start to get aligned with what is worth fighting for and what is of little importance. We can unleash the old stale stories that may have formed in the past during moments of passion or desire. We can choose to use this retrograde time to question why we experience surges of energy around certain issues. Are we being reactive to that which is true or are we reacting based on old patterns? We can have clarity at this time if we can allow Mars’ arrow to point inward. Like NASA’s missions to Mars, we can become explorers of our own innate desires. If we can allow deep truths to emerge, and reclaim the part of the belief that is real for us, we can then choose to move forward from that space of awareness. During this time we may feel like things don’t kick off with a bang, and we have to put a little more effort forth to light the match. This is normal under Mars retrograde so anticipating that this may not be the time to start a new initiative, but rather revisit what you have already began and refine it would be suggested. The Sun moves into Taurus today enhancing the energy of slowing down. As Taurus ultimately wants a calm and peaceful environment, we can utilize this time to connect to the animal side of us. The animal that follows the natural rhythms and cycles of nature, adeptly tuned into the sensations coming from the body that guide what is the next move. Shall I eat? Shall I sleep? Shall we all just BREATHE and connect to that which lies inside us.To delve more deeply into how this Mars retrograde may play out for you personally, please check out my website at www.crescentmoonastrology.com to see a list of services.